The Road Trip
by jmkw
Summary: Woody and Jordan take a cross country road trip ...stuck in a UHaul
1. A Perfect Evening

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but it fun to take them out for a spin once in awhile.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I know nothing about the season finale. I know... nothing, I see... nothing. Can't you tell by the fingers sticking out of my ears? LA LA LA LA LA...sorry I had to do that. Denial is always a great tool.  
  
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Jordan's father takes a night off. He leaves Jordan in charge of a crowded bar that includes many friends and acquaintances. Can one evening be so perfect?  
  
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Jordan takes a short break and leans over the bar to get Lily's attention, laughingly she says; "I spent thirteen years of my life so I wouldn't have to do a job like this." Grabbing a towel to dry a glass she continues, "I shouldn't complain. With Dad gone for one night the music is better, the language raunchier, and from this side of the bar the view is most defiantly better" Both Jordan and Lily look over the crowded pub "Is it just my mood or has the Boston PD decided only to hire good looking cops?"  
  
"Most defiantly" Lily agrees with a sigh. "I take that four to go...and those three I'll put on lay away."  
  
"What are you putting on lay away?" Bug asks as he steps up to the bar after a game of pool.  
  
Lily looks at Jordan trying to keep a straight face. "Nothing... Can I buy you a drink?"  
  
Jordan mouths 'good save' as she turns to draw Bug a beer. In the corner Nigel and Garrett are in the middle off in a game of darts, each opponent squaring off as if it were a duel to the death. Meanwhile, Peter has the new chick from police dispatch cornered, and she doesn't seem to mind. Eddie is holding court at the pool table, taking on any one who had a twenty and the nerve to challenge him.  
  
A perfect evening, all an all; the only notable absentee, outside of her father, is Woody.  
  
Jordan couldn't help but wonder if he was just sitting home folding socks. Unless he is working, she decides he needs to drag his butt down here. Picking up the phone she dials. Woody answers on the second ring. Jordan covers her ear to be able to hear him over the noise.  
  
"Hello"  
  
"Hoyt, get your happy ass down here."  
  
"Sounds like a busy night."  
  
"You bet and Winslow is running out of marks for the pool table. Come on farm boy."  
  
"Actually I'm sitting out front."  
  
"Really, don't just sit there, get in here. Dad's gone and left me in charge. If you're nice to the bartender, I may even buy you a drink."  
  
"Jordan, I...I need to talk to you...can you met me out here."  
  
"Is there something going on?" When she didn't get an answer she says, "Sure let me find someone to cover for a few."  
  
"Meet me out back."  
  
With that Woody hangs up. Jordan looks at the phone for a second and then hangs it up. She's not on duty tonight; but if Woody had something interesting...  
  
"Hey Nig; can I get you to cover the bar for a few minutes?"  
  
Nigel walks around the bar counting the cash he had just won off of Garrett. "No problem love, do you need to powder your nose?"  
  
"Woody wants to meet me. I'll be out back if you need me."  
  
"Darling, THAT should take longer than a few minutes..."  
  
Jordan just shakes her head as she walks away. As she steps out the back door she hears Nigel announce it was time for shooters. Jordan hopes this doesn't take long...or her father would never leave her in charge again. Pushing open the heavy fire door she sees Woody standing against the wall staring at the sky.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts cowboy..." Jordan says to get his attention.  
  
Woody steps away from the wall. The first thing Jordan notices is that he isn't dressed for work. He stands there silently as he looks her up and down as if committing her image to memory, at the same time his gaze looked a hundred miles away.  
  
"Woody, are you alright?" Jordan says trying to catch his attention.  
  
"Yeah" he tries to smile and fails.  
  
"Good" she says grabbing his arm, "You are missing a great time, come on. Nigel's going to get us all arrested if I don't get back in there soon...." Jordan laughs.  
  
Woody pulls away and stands his ground. Jordan becomes suddenly serious. "Something's wrong, oh my God it's not Dad is it."  
  
Woody looks at the ground. "No, No it's nothing like that..."  
  
"Then what is it?" Jordan closes the door and lays a hand on his arm. Woody reaches up and covers in with his own.  
  
"I stopped by to tell you I got a new job today." He says with another valiant attempt to smile.  
  
"Really" Jordan says excitedly. "You're promotion came through! This is great. Come on, this really gives us a reason to celebrate!"  
  
"Yes, I got the promotion...but I turned it down."  
  
"I guess I'm not following you."  
  
"I've decided to take a job in L.A."  
  
It took a few minutes for the words to connect with her. And then suddenly the ground felt like it opened and swallowed her whole. She steps away and takes a deep breath to regroup "Wow, L.A...."  
  
"I thought I should tell you in person instead of you hearing it through the grape vine."  
  
Still in a deep state of fog Jordan says. "You need to work on you're practical jokes Hoyt. They're not funny."  
  
"This isn't a joke Jordan. I've got some time on the books so I'm taking my two weeks notice as vacation. I'm leaving to drive out in the day after tomorrow."  
  
"You certainly move fast don't you?" Jordan says failing to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.  
  
With a deep sigh Woody puts his hands on her shoulders. "I have no reason to stay here Jordan; I never really fit into the boy's club at the department. It's time to move on."  
  
Letting out an unladylike snort Jordan says "I can understand that; but L.A. Woody? I've been there. It's the same shit different pile."  
  
"Yeah, I know." Letting go of her arms opens the fire door motioning for her to step in. Jordan stands and staring at him for a moment and than steps inside.  
  
"You have no one in California...you have roots here."  
  
"I never thought I'd settle down here Jordan. Boston was to first place that had an opening when I left home. I came here for the experience, now that I've had it. It's time to move on."  
  
She couldn't fault his logic; it was the same argument she has used a number of times before. "Well, come inside and maybe we can talk you in to changing your mind."  
  
"No, I really need to finish packing. I've got a lot to do in the morning."  
  
"Hoyt, at least come in a say goodbye."  
  
"I'm not into long goodbyes." He leans over and kisses her on the cheek. It was all Jordan could do not to throw her arms around him and beg him to stay. He turns and walks away. Jordan stands in the open door as he turns the corner. Slowly she makes her way back into the taproom. One of her favorite songs is playing. Laugher and merriment is all around. She walks back behind the bar. Nigel looks up from the tap.  
  
"So, where's Woodrow?"  
  
"He left" she says as she gabs a bar rag and attacks the pile of glasses she left earlier.  
  
"Don't tell me you're loosing your touch darling."  
  
"I guess I am." She says with a hallow chuckle.  
  
Nigel takes a double take look at her, and then walks around the bar to blend back into the crowd.  
  
Quickly wiping away the stray tears that littered her face Jordan pastes on a happy face. Her heart would have to wait its turn to break tonight. The music was too good, the crowd to interesting, the evening too perfect.  
  
Now if she could only convince herself of that.  
  
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The idea hit her like a ton of bricks. It was a harebrain at best...in some states she probably could get arrested for it. To carry this off she was going to need to talk Garrett into a last minute favor...one day ought to do it, but she asks for two weeks just in case.  
  
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The morning of Woody's move dawned clear and warm. One of those crystal blue mornings you hardly ever saw on the east coast but were a daily event out west. Woody had sold his car the day before to the new girl in dispatch. He doubted it would even make it to L.A., and besides the salt rust around the wheel wells would stand out like a sore thumb in southern California. He loads the last of his stuff into the back of a U-Haul truck. He was 14 minutes ahead of schedule...this is good. Standing back he realizes the whole of his worldly possessions take up less than half of the space. Boston was just a side trip anyway...He was surprised he lasted two years as it was. But two years is a long time...he did have friends that really should at least say goodbye too. Maybe a quick stop at the M.E.'s office wouldn't take out to much time from his schedule. Taking one last quick look at his neighborhood he reaches up to pull down the back gate of the truck.  
  
"Hold it! You forgot something!"  
  
Woody turns to see Jordan stepping out of a cab. In her hand is an old Army duffle bag. Before he could say anything she heaves her loads in to the back of the truck.  
  
"Jordan, just what in the hell do you think your doing?"  
  
Reaching up to grab the door Jordan pulls it down with a bang. She turns and walks to the cab of the truck, "Can we stop and get some coffee before we hit the toll road?"  
  
"Jordan?! What is going on?"  
  
"I would think that was obvious...and you call yourself a detective..."  
  
Before she can jump up into the cab, Woody grabs her arm. "This isn't funny Jordan."  
  
"I'm not trying to be funny Hoyt; I'm just going along to make sure you make it all the way out there. I need the vacation any way."  
  
"I don't need help Jordan."  
  
"I've made this trip a few times myself... it's a bitch by yourself....and besides you'd probably get lost somewhere around Ohio."  
  
Woody reaches up into the cab and pulls out a folder full up maps and directions. Jordan grabs it out of his hands and opens it up.  
  
"As you can see, I have plotted out an itinerary that will put me in L.A. by....6pm on Thursday."  
  
With an arched eyebrow, Jordan throws the folder back into the cab. "By Thursday...? Are you planning on sleeping or eating in the next few days? You are so lucky I decided to come along." She jumps up into the cab and slams the door. Woody barely gets his hand out of the way in time.  
  
"Jordan, get out of the truck."  
  
"Woody, what is this? Your co driver...?" Jordan holds up a fish bowl complete with goldfish.  
  
"I pick it up after I got back from..... Put that back down and get out of the truck."  
  
"Is this all the music you have....I suppose it will have to do... Good, you have a cooler of sodas."  
  
"Jordan this is your last warning...."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere Hoyt, You can consider this road trip....hijacked; just get in here and start driving...or the fish gets it."  
  
To be continued..... 


	2. Wagons Ho!

They were closing in on the thruway by the time Woody settled into a quiet rage. Jordan was more than a little nervous her plan would not work there for awhile. The things she goes through for her friends. This whole idea of Woody moving to Los Angeles is just a bad idea. It would take about five minutes in LAPD before he figured out what a bone head move he made. Just two years in Boston and he makes Sergeant. That's unheard of. But he's willing to flush it all away just for a milder winter. Jordan had to pull out all the stops to keep him from dropping her out at her apartment. If it weren't for the pothole repair crew sent up on her street he probably would have just parked the truck out front of her building and waited her out. But fate and the City of Boston road crews were working in her favor. She made a mental note to write her city councilman when they returned. Jordan watches the road signs as the wiz past.  
  
"You better get over; we're going to miss our exit."  
  
"Jordan...."  
  
"It's coming up."  
  
"The exit is not for another 20 miles."  
  
"If you're going to the Berkshires...we need to head south."  
  
"Jordan, if you look at page one of the itinerary you will see...we need to go west."  
  
Unable to help herself Jordan continues, "Yes, we learned California is in the west during grade school Woody, but we need to go south first.  
  
"Jordan, I have mapped out the most efficient way to get there."  
  
Jordan picks up the roadmap and opens it. "Just as I thought, you can't just head west on four lanes, cross the Mississippi at some point, look at miles corn and a mountain or two, just to get there. Where is your sense of adventure Hoyt? This is the last vacation you are going to see in a long time."  
  
"I have a schedule...."  
  
"Screw your schedule Woody."  
  
"Jordan it's not too late to drop you off..."  
  
"And leave me alone on the side of the highway? I'm sure they didn't teach you that in boy scouts."  
  
"I'd give you money for a payphone...."  
  
Think about it Hoyt, going south we'd be no where near Wisconsin...that pesky little voice that's inside your head saying "VISIT MOM" will be silenced."  
  
The muscle at the side of Woody's jaw was working over time when he made to turn onto the south bound lane.  
  
"So Woody..." Jordan says looking at his now unless notes "I noticed 'VISIT MOM' was not in your itinerary, what's up with that?"  
  
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After eight hours on the road Jordan was now where near getting Woody to change his mind and turn around. She talked about how much he would miss all of his coworkers. To that he only muttered that they'd get along fine with out him. She talked about the history of the Boston area compared to the glitz of Hollywood. To that he only mentioned the snowfall total for the greater Boston area last winter. When she talked about the traffic in the Los Angeles area, he reminded her of the pothole patrol that kept him from pulling over in front of her apartment building to drop her off. Jordan decided it was time to pull out the heavy guns about the time they hit the Virginia border...  
  
"Woody do you realize that there are earthquakes in California?"  
  
With a jerk of the wheel Woody pulls off to the side of the road. "Jordan, yes I'm aware of earthquakes. I have seen the smog, and yes, I know Anaheim Stadium is not Fenway. But that's were I'm going. Could you just shut up and drive for awhile? If we took my route we'd be in Ohio by now."  
  
"And you'd be lost." Things are getting better, Jordan thinks to herself. He has strung together more words in the last 5 minutes then he had all day.  
  
Jordan pulls the truck back out in to traffic as Woody reaches around back to check on the fish. The little goldfish huddled toward the bottom of the bowl.  
  
"I think your fish is seasick."  
  
"Fish don't get seasick Jordan..."  
  
Risking taking a glance at the bowl she says, "Can't you see how this move is unnatural for it? It'll be a Boston fish out of water in L.A."  
  
Woody looks at the fish for a moment and then sets it back down. "I think fish flakes are universal, it'll never know the difference."  
  
She pulls off at the next exit. "What are you doing?" Woody asks.  
  
"I'm hungry"  
  
Jordan pulls up to a large truck stop. The tiny U-Haul is flanked side to side with eighteen wheelers. They jump out of the cab and with stiff legs walk into the restaurant.  
  
They sit down in a booth as a waitress walks up with a pot of coffee. She tells them she'll be back for their order in a minute. Jordan excuses herself for a moment and goes to the hallway by the restrooms. She reaches for her cell phone.  
  
"Hello" Nigel answers.  
  
"Nigel it's me." Jordan whispers in the phone looking around the corner to make sure Woody is still at the table.  
  
"So how goes 'Operation U-Turn'? Do you have him all nice a settled back in to his apartment?"  
  
"We're somewhere in Virginia."  
  
"Oh my, I have the feeling you're not talking about Virginia Avenue."  
  
"No"  
  
"Have you tried the 'no affordable housing' argument yet?"  
  
"About four hours ago. He's getting a cost of living pay raise."  
  
"Those rat bastards. We can always go with sheer blackmail...."  
  
"I'm beginning to think may be this maybe a good move for him..."  
  
"Jordan, don't weaken now...think how long it will take to break in a new homicide detective. We are all counting on you."  
  
"I've got to get back. I'll call later." Jordan ends the call and walks back to the table which is now loaded down with just about every breakfast food imaginable.  
  
"Getting ready for hibernation there Hoyt?"  
  
"Jordan did you realize you can order breakfast 24 hours a day here?" Woody beams as he pours syrup on a pile of pancakes.  
  
Jordan sips her coffee and watches as he shovels in the food.  
  
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Jordan was sound asleep when she felt something touch her cheek. The glare from a motel neon sign causes her to open her eyes and look out the window.  
  
"Hey, it's time to stop." Woody says waiting for her to wake up fully.  
  
"Sitting up she says "Where are we?"  
  
Woody grabs the fish bowl "Somewhere in Tennessee I think."  
  
Great, they were a thousand miles from Boston and Jordan was no where near getting him to turn back. The feel of a key hitting her lap brings her out of her stupor.  
  
"We're lucky they only had two rooms left."  
  
Jordan looks out of the cab and notices that her bag was sitting on the ground next to the door. Woody picks it up a carries it over to the motel room door. "Come on Jordan I want to make sure you are all tucked in before I turn in."  
  
"Are you going to make sure the covers are nice a tight Woody?" Jordan says as she unlocks the door. She turns and stands only inches from him.  
  
The water sloshes around in the fish bowl as he backs up quickly. "Ah no, it was just a figure of speech Jordan."  
  
"Good Night Woody."  
  
"Good night...ah Jordan" he repeats as he stumbles a couple of doors down.  
  
"You will still be here when I wake up, right?" Jordan asks out of the blue.  
  
Woody grows suddenly serious and turns looking around the still parking lot. "Of course Jordan, I'm a little lost right now and I think it's going to take both of us to find a way out of here." Opening his door he stands waiting for Jordan to step into her room and lock the door. "I don't know which direction to go." he mumbles to himself.  
  
to be continued. 


	3. Arewethereyet Arewethereyet

Five days later and Jordan is at her wits end. This last stop was almost more than she could handle. Lying back on the bed she closes her eyes. Before she can fall asleep her phone rings...  
  
"Cavanaugh"  
  
"Well darling I haven't heard from you in days, I'm beginning to worry the sun and surf is calling your name now. Where are you?"  
  
Jordan sits up and looks up at the inside of the U-Haul. She had decided to grab a nap on the bare mattress lying back there. "At this moment I'm in Woody's bed."  
  
"Blimey! When we came up with this plan I didn't think you'd go to those lengths to keep him in town.....did it work?"  
  
She just shakes her head. "Nigel in the last five days he has stopped at every road side tourist trap with in a hundred miles of the highway and yet we're still driving into the sunset. Right now we are.....somewhere in Oklahoma....so Woody could look at some dinosaur foot prints in some riverbed or something." Jordan flops back down on the mattress.  
  
"Sounds tragic....how are you holding up?"  
  
"One more day and I say we have to surrender and work with someone new....."  
  
The partially closed gate to the truck bed flies open with a resounding crash.  
  
"Jordan, what hell was that?" Nigel asks  
  
"Jordan, there you are! Come on they're going to show a film up in the visitor's bureau!" Woody's excited voice echoes off the hollow walls.  
  
With a sigh Jordan gives Woody a little wave to say hang on. "Nigel, I have to go if I'm not back by the end of the week don't worry, by that time I would have thrown myself in front of the first eighteen wheeler I can find..." her gaze finds the fish bowl sitting on the floor next to her. ".....and I'm taking the fish with me."  
  
"Jordan, come on!" Woody says grabbing the fishbowl, half bouncing eager to leave the parking lot. "We've only got five more minutes."  
  
"I'll talk to you soon Nig...bye."  
  
It was two hours later when Jordan was finally able to drag Woody and his fish away from the gift shop. With one last picture of the three them in front of the U-Haul on the sixth disposable camera he brought this week, she points the truck back out to the highway and headed for Texas. Once in Amarillo they could turn west ...or east; back to Boston. Besides she knew of a great roadhouse down there and right now she could use a few shots of tequila, even if it had the worm in it.  
  
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"I can't believe I let you talk me in to this." Woody grumbles as they walk into the smoky bar just off the highway in Amarillo. "I would rather sit in the motel room and watch the game."  
  
"Hey, I let you talk me into that 'dig your own' quartz mine back in Arkansas. My back still hurts from stooping over that pile of rocks." Jordan says eyeing for an open table.  
  
"You have to admit you had a good time, after that kid next to you found that one the size of a marble you hammered for another hour."  
  
"For the amount of money that little adventure cost I wasn't going to leave there empty handed. And look there's a TV over the bar...you can still catch the score." " she says grabbing his arm to hurry over to an empty table she notices further in the room.  
  
"I thought you where here for the adventure Jordan?" he says in that sing song voice that has really come to get on her nerves. But...there was something to say about his boyish charm. "And hey Cavanaugh, wasn't your idea to take that side trip to Graceland."  
  
Sitting down Jordan looks for the waitress. "Do you think I'd be able to go back to work after being in Memphis and look Nigel in the face again with out bringing him back a souvenir?"  
  
"Just wait until you see what I have planned for us tomorrow." Woody says with a big smile as he pulls out of his back pocket the pile of tourist brochures he grabbed as they left the motel lobby earlier.  
  
"I can hardly wait Woody." she looks around again for the waitress. Catching her eye Jordan orders a couple of beers. Once they arrived Jordan takes a long drag while Woody is still reading over his pile of glossy tri- folded pamphlets. She chuckles a little; all and all she was having a good time on this trip. Although the stop at the rock formation that looked like Grandma Moses was a bit hard to handle. In the last week she's had no choice but...to be with him. They fought over what radio station to listen too. They made faces at kids in the backs of school buses. They talked about everything from the reason he became a cop to which was better; yellow cheese or orange. The only thing that seemed to be taboo was this move to California. "So, where to tomorrow, Mr. Cruise Director...?"  
  
With a quick smile at Jordan's comment he says, "If we head south there's a windmill museum that looks really interesting....or how about this old copper mine?" Jordan's silence made him look up at her. She was focused on something behind him.  
  
"Hey gorgeous let me buy you a drink." came a deep voice behind him.  
  
Jordan catches Woody eye for a quick glance telling him that she'd take care of this. "Thank you but I'm fine." he lefts up her half empty beer.  
  
"Why don't you leave the pretty boy and come over and join us." says the man in the cowboy hat as he steps closer to Jordan.  
  
"It wouldn't be nice to ditch my date..." Jordan says taking another drink of her beer keeping her eyes on Woody.  
  
"Baby, I'm sure he can be convinced to share..." he reaches out and grabs Jordan's arm.  
  
At that Woody stands up to face the man and finds out he comes out about a foot and a hundred pounds too short. 'Shit this is going to hurt' was all he could think of.  
  
Jordan stands quickly and puts herself between the two. Speaking to Woody she says, "Honey, sweetie, now you promised you wouldn't get into anymore trouble...." She turns and looks at the cowboy "You see he just got out for the prison psych-ward for biting a man's nose off."  
  
Woody could just gape at the mountain of a man standing in front of him. The cowboy was not going to be the first to blink. Jordan ducks quickly as a beer bottle, from one of the many onlookers who were eager for a bar fight to start, as it sails over her head smashing against the wall. In the next split second all hell breaks loose. Jordan grabs Woody's hand and they began to run to the exit dodging bottles and a more than a few bodies.  
  
"Jordan wait, I forgot our brochures." Woody says as he begins to put on the brakes.  
  
"We'll get new ones...Run!" By the time they were in the parking lot and to the side of the U-Haul they were laughing like kids.  
  
"That was pretty quick thinking Dr. Cavanaugh." Woody says as he buzzes the side of her head.  
  
"I was only thinking about what was left of my credit card limit. You're between jobs and have no health insurance." Looking back to the roadhouse entrance she says "I think we had better get out of here."  
  
Woody turns to see Cowboy Hat and a few of his friends come out of the building pointing at them. He quickly piles Jordan into the cab and jumps in after her. With gravel trailing behind them they peel out of the parking lot. Rolling down the window Jordan sticks her head out.  
  
"Quaint place you picked out there Jordan. Are they following us?" Woody asks as he tries to look through the rearview mirrors.  
  
"I don't think so..." Jordan says pulling herself back into the cab. Trying to straighten her hair and wipe some of the flying beer off her face she mutters "I can't believe we are making a get away in a U-Haul truck."  
  
Woody had to laugh out loud at the expression on her face.  
  
"What? What are you laughing at?" Jordan says with a smile.  
  
"You look like you just stepped foot off the world's tallest roller coaster, your stomach's still full of butterflies, but are eager to step in line to ride it again."  
  
"Hey that's a thought. Tour guide, do you know if they have a Six Flags around here?"  
  
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The next morning, Woody and the fish where already waiting in the cab of the truck when Jordan stepped out of the motel lobby. The bright Texas sun made she grope for her sunglasses "You can take the boy off the farm but you can't take the clock out of him." Jordan grumbles as she steps into the cab. "For once, can we sleep in passed 5 AM?"  
  
"Nope, no can do. What's wrong with a little morning sunshine?...here," Woody hands her a cup of coffee.  
  
"What no meat lover's breakfast this morning?"  
  
"I've only got a little more than a week to find a place to live, or I'll be living out of the back of this truck." Woody says missing the look on Jordan's face.  
  
'We're only a thousand miles away from Los Angeles...think...think...think' Jordan thinks to herself. She is two thousand miles away when Woody asks...  
  
"Hey, here we are at the highway. Which direction do we take navigator?" When Woody doesn't get an answer he looks over to Jordan who is just staring at the Styrofoam cup in her hand. "You are defiantly not a morning person are you?" With a smile that's a mile wide Woody turns toward the sign that points the way to Albuquerque.  
  
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Rain deterred much of Woody's sight seeing plans for the day so they traveled on to Arizona. It was just after midnight when Jordan pulled the truck into a hotel outside Flagstaff.  
  
"Woody, wake up."  
  
"Are we there yet, Mom?" Woody mumbles in his sleep. Jordan cuffs him the side of the head and he wakes with a start.  
  
Grabbing the fish Jordan hops out of the cab. "I'll get us checked in Sleeping Beauty, you get the bags."  
  
By the time Woody had unloaded the bags Jordan had come stomping back to the truck. "So what is it tonight, highway view or gas station view?"  
  
"Neither, they're booked solid, as is every other place in this godforsaken burg. I had them call around."  
  
"Well, it looks like star view tonight." Woody says as he loads the bags back up in the truck bed. "There's got to be a rest stop around here somewhere where we can crash for a few hours."  
  
"We can just drive on for awhile Woody, A little coffee and I'll be good to go." Jordan says as she puts the fish back in its spot in the cab.  
  
"We are so close to the Grand Canyon Jordan, we can't just drive passed." Woody all but whines making Jordan wonder how his Mother handled vacations with him and his brother as children.  
  
'Great, a hole in the ground, after spending the night in a truck with no shower...' she thinks to herself. Out loud she says, "Great, sounds like fun."  
  
Finding a rest area was the easy part. Arguing over the sleeping arrangements is another.  
  
"Jordan, you and the fish take the back and use the mattress. I'll just shut the gate and you'll be safe. It'll be just like camping..." Woody says trying to hand her the fish bowl.  
  
"You're not locking me up in the back of this truck Hoyt."  
  
"Jordan, we're stuck in the middle of an interstate rest area. I'm not going to leave the gate open...someone might walk off with my stuff." he waves at the odd assortment of boxes and bags.  
  
"Thanks" Jordan walks back around the truck with Woody hot on her heals.  
  
"Jordan with how grumpy you are right now no one would be in their right mind to try and mess with you."  
  
With a humph, Jordan jumps back up into the cab and slams the cab door. After turning her back and leaning against the door, Woody got the distinct impression that they'd both be sleeping in the cab.  
  
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The next day Jordan had to admit the Grand Canyon was more than just a big hole. But she really couldn't enjoy it. They'd be in L.A. by tomorrow and she would have to admit defeat. She hated to admit it even to herself but she was really going to miss him. Not just because he is a homicide detective that she had wrapped around her little finger...but as a valued friend. Jordan can only name a few of those in her life. Tonight she'd make her return flight reservations. This would be the second time in a very short period of time that she'd be flying back to Boston from L.A. the last time she was bringing him home...this time she was leaving him there.  
  
To be continued.... 


	4. The Fish Gets It

Recap: Woody had taken a job in L.A. he piles his stuff in a U-Haul and gets ready to head out. Jordan invites herself along to help with the drive and to try and talk him out of it. But all she can do is convince him that he should make the drive a holiday. He does that by stopping at campy roadside tourist attractions along their route, much to Jordan's chagrin. One day from Los Angeles and Jordan is ready to admit defeat and go back to Boston....  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Still worn out from a pair of sleepless nights Jordan stares out the passenger window watching the bleak landscape fly past. It seemed the closer they came to the coast the more anxious Woody became to get there. She was lucky to be able to convince him to stop early last night. After making her flight arrangements, Jordan called home to tell her father when to expect her flight to arrive that next evening. Then she paced the room until daybreak. When Woody knocked on her door at five o'clock she was ready to go. He wanted to be in Los Angeles by lunchtime.  
  
They pull into one last gas station about one hundred miles east of L.A...  
  
As Woody is pumping the gas Jordan gets out of the cab and walks to the edge of the gas station parking lot. She looks out at the highway interchange. She stopped at this very gas station when she moved to L.A. so many years ago. She remembers standing here wondering if she is making to right move. One direction of the road would take her to Los Angeles and the other would take her home. She must have lost track of time because she jumped a mile high when Woody placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Hey, I called your name a hundred times...you OK?" Woody asks looking at her pale face.  
  
"Just a little tired, it must be the week's worth of carbon monoxide getting to me. Hey, while we're here let me get myself stuff all collected; I have a flight to catch this afternoon."  
  
"....Sure" Woody says as he opens the back gate of the truck. A week's worth of tourist trash littered the partially full truck bed. Jordan sits on the deck and begins to sort though the odd assortment of sacks.  
  
Lifting up one of the many used up cameras Jordan waves it in the air. "You know I want copies of these pictures..."  
  
Woody hops up and sits next to her. "Of course...as soon as I can have them developed...."  
  
"...can I take this?" Jordan holds up a coffee cup they picked up somewhere outside Nashville.  
  
"Sure"  
  
Jordan pulls out a little plastic bag of candies she picked up at a stop in a town outside of Little Rock. "They're a little mashed, you want one...?"  
  
"Sure"  
  
Woody can't help but smile as she paws through the bags over and over again. "What time is your flight Jordan? At this rate we'd be lucky to get there by midnight."  
  
Finally, ready to admit defeat Jordan let's out a long sigh. He's gone and there's nothing she can do about it.  
  
Handing him the assortment of stuff she collected out of the sacks, she jumps down from the truck bed. Quietly she walk around to the cab and steps in.  
  
Woody counts to ten then carefully puts everything back in their original sacks.  
  
The drive to the Los Angeles city limits was quiet. They were seeing signs for the airport when Woody said, "What time's your flight Jordan? Do we have time to catch lunch?"  
  
Jordan looks at her watch and mentally calculates how long it would take them to get to the airport...there was plenty of time. "No, we going to cut it close..." she says as she looks out the window again. There's no reason to prolong this anymore.  
  
It's not going to be that bad, she thinks to herself. It's not like Woody is the first cop to move on since Jordan came back to town. There was that Bob guy,...the one with the bad comb over, she couldn't remember his name. And there were a few more. Funny, she can remember every detail of the ugly tie Woody wore the first time she met him. The six sugars and two creams in his coffee, the exact color of green his face turned the first day in autopsy, the feeling in her stomach when he said he was leaving.....  
  
"Jordan, which terminal do you need to go to?"  
  
"Ah, umm" she stumbles as she looks up at the entrance to LAX "stay in this lane." How in the hell did they get through midday traffic that fast?  
  
Woody only shakes his head and drives on. "Now, remember to give me a call when you land...."  
  
"Yes, Mommy..." Jordan says mentally making a note to avoid that call at all costs. Maybe in a few weeks or even months she could handle hearing his voice again.  
  
As he pulls up to the departure gate he says "And tell everyone I'll drop them a line when I get settled..."  
  
"Sure thing Woody." she says as she jumping out of the cab as it barely comes to a stop.  
  
She walks around to the rear of the truck waiting patiently for Woody to unlock it.  
  
Woody pulls her duffle bag out of the back of the truck. "Well this is it..."  
  
"Yes, I guess so..." she says trying to put on a happy face.  
  
Woody leans over and kisses her on the cheek. When he pulls back he notices the tears in Jordan's eyes, and he can't help but smile a little. "Tears for me Cavanaugh...where is that camera when I need it?"  
  
"This is wrong...please don't do this..." Jordan softly whispers looking at her feet.  
  
"Please what?...What was that Jordan?" Woody stoops down to try and look at her face through the veil of hair covering it.  
  
Jordan turns to look at anything but him. "I said don't do this Woody."  
  
"Don't do what Jordan?" he quickly asks.  
  
"Leave me."  
  
The sound of Woody's laughter made Jordan turn around. When she looks up at him he is leaning against the side of the truck holding his stomach. The outraged look on her face made him only laugh harder.  
  
"What is so damn funny?"  
  
"You Jordan....you...It only took a week and three thousand miles for you to ask me not to leave." He gasped out wiping the tears from his eyes.  
  
Jordan reaching out and slapping him in the shoulder only made him laugh harder. "That is just not true...I asked you to change your mind a hundred times since this whole thing started."  
  
His laughing stops but his eyes are still shinning when he puts his hands on her shoulders "Oh yes, you came up with every excuse under the sun, and a few I never hear of, why I shouldn't move to L.A. You'd never get hired as a PR person for this city, that's for sure Jordan." he grips her arms slightly tighter; "But never once did you ask me not to leave. Not once."  
  
Pulling away from him and grabbing her bag Jordan snorts "Well, its mute point now isn't it? We're fifteen minutes away from your new office."  
  
"Not exactly..." His words stopped her before she could take more than one step. "I called the Boston PD from while we were in Virginia and stopped my resignation. And then I called L.A. from Graceland to say I changed my mind..."  
  
Woody was not prepared for the response he got, and his ears would still be ringing an hour later. Jordan turns and cuffs him the side of the head and yells "You dragged me cross country in a...a...U-haul for nothing! Seven days of cheap motels, cheesy tourist traps and fast food...!"  
  
"You said you wanted a vacation." bracing for another blow he continues "It's totally your fault, you know... I was having my doubts when I stopped by your father's to say goodbye. I may like or not, but I do have roots in Boston. I think I came there that night just to hear you ask me to stay."  
  
With her arms folded Jordan walks around to the cab of the truck.  
  
"Jordan, wait! Jordan what are you doing?" Woody says trying to keep up with her.  
  
Leaning into the cab Jordan grabs the fishbowl and steps on to the curb next to her abandoned duffle bag. "You've got five days to have your self satisfied happy ass back in Boston. And I'm taking the fish with me to make sure it happens.  
  
"But Jordan we have one more week of vacation....you said you'd help me drive."  
  
"I said I'd help you get to L.A..." she picks up her bag and starts for the door. She stops and slowly turns around, her anger rapidly cooling. "Hoyt...Woody it's good to have you back, call when you hit the Massachusetts line and I'll make dinner."  
  
"It's a date." he smiles at her.  
  
Holding out the fish bowl she says "No, it's not a date. It's a prisoner exchange."  
  
"But I have nothing to exchange." he says standing with his arms wide.  
  
She picks up her bag and turns. Over her shoulder she says, "The fish for you Woody... the fish for you..."  
  
The End. 


End file.
